To anyone considering getting a parrot or bird of any kind, find a friend who has one or spend a fair amount of time in a bird store. You probably aren't expecting the noise-factor to be nearly as horrific as it is. Sun-rise is the worst time of the day, bad enough that at times, the only option is to cover the bird's cage with a sheet to simulate night.

Cleanup sucks, they have a habit of putting their pellets in their water. (So be sure to never buy a feed with any dyes in it if you like your carpet)

Edited:

Even admitting as stressful as they are to own, I can say they are among the most rewarding pets I've ever owned. Amy enjoys peeling grapes, as does Heidi. It's strange, they peel the entire grape, only eat the inside. I've never given either of them peanut butter, but I might have to if they enjoy it. Brazil nuts are probably Amy's favorite, Heidi has those things called 'nutriberries'. She's learned to ask for them by saying "Berry?"

My birds peel their grapes exactly the same way. They also love the little treats we give them, like dried bananas and papaya.

Regarding clean-up, I think we've perfected it over the years. Right now, I'm the designated person to do it, but we change the food and water every night, which takes about 5 minutes. This entails adding more pellets if they are running dry and dumping the old water for new water.

Then we do a quick clean-up of the floor with some water, a scraper and paper towels, so when we clean the cages themselves on the weekend, it's not a horrific mess.

I like the bow, my cat has a sweater he wears when it gets cold. (as he's hairless) I'm always concerned though about him getting hung up on something though. I think cats as a general rule are not supposed to wear collars for that reason.

I owned a lizard once (a bearded dragon who died, presumably of compaction), I loved watching the thing but I've always felt like it probably wasn't worth the expense or hassle. Can't get close to them emotionally, they aren't really sociable. The crickets and meal-worms smelled dreadful and made a fair bit of noise. Might get another reptile when I'm older. I was only 10 or so when I had the lizard.

I owned a lizard once (a bearded dragon who died, presumably of compaction), I loved watching the thing but I've always felt like it probably wasn't worth the expense or hassle. Can't get close to them emotionally, they aren't really sociable. The crickets and meal-worms smelled dreadful and made a fair bit of noise. Might get another reptile when I'm older. I was only 10 or so when I had the lizard.

I am currently emotionally attached to my Beardy to the point of treating her like my own baby. Yes, I do get obsessed. Will post pics later.

I like the bow, my cat has a sweater he wears when it gets cold. (as he's hairless) I'm always concerned though about him getting hung up on something though. I think cats as a general rule are not supposed to wear collars for that reason.

Those two pics were taken the same day, she never really uses a collar. In fact, that's not a collar, my little sister sewed some sort of wristband and wrapped it around her and because she looked so cute we started taking pictures. here's another pic:

I am currently emotionally attached to my Beardy to the point of treating her like my own baby. Yes, I do get obsessed. Will post pics later.

Might just have been because I was young that I wasn't able to feel as close to mine as I would have liked to have been. More suited towards more mature handlers. Reptiles never cease to fascinate me though. Watching a beardy eat a pinky mouse is quite a sight. (Mine didn't, but the shop keepers who raised it's parents showed a feeding one time)

Are ferrets considered exotic? Because I used to have 3, down to one now.

Also have a ball python and a corn snake. They eat really infrequently. Less than once a week, I usually judge when to feed them by their activity level. If they move around frequently, than they are looking for food. If they hide away most of the time, they probably wouldn't eat if I tried.

Cockatiels are like a mix between Parakeets and Cockatoos, they are moody, small, and attach themselves to one person. By that I mean they will form bonds with one person and hate everyone else, to you they will always love you, but when your girlfriend comes in it will fuck her shit up. This bird is for those 'forever alone' guys out there.

I would like to say that this is not entirely true. My cockatiel was friendly to everyone. Great times and he was a very good friend to everyone. Too bad she passed away early. I miss her so much ):

Are ferrets considered exotic? Because I used to have 3, down to one now.

Also have a ball python and a corn snake. They eat really infrequently. Less than once a week, I usually judge when to feed them by their activity level. If they move around frequently, than they are looking for food. If they hide away most of the time, they probably wouldn't eat if I tried.

Is it tame? If you managed to get it tame I would like to know how, my school has one they caught and it's scared shitless half the time.

Depends on what you mean by tame, I guess. She's usually very quiet and will let you pet her, but if she's uncaged and in a smaller room she has a tendancy to panic and fly into walls. She also isn't a wild dove, we got her from a pet store.

Funny story, one time she got loose outdoors and we thought she was gone for good, my mom was crushed. Then, during a storm she returned. She also really loves popcorn

Depends on what you mean by tame, I guess. She's usually very quiet and will let you pet her, but if she's uncaged and in a smaller room she has a tendancy to panic and fly into walls. She also isn't a wild dove, we got her from a pet store.

Funny story, one time she got loose outdoors and we thought she was gone for good, my mom was crushed. Then, during a storm she returned. She also really loves popcorn

Loyal bird, plus I didn't know that they sell Doves (of all things) at petstores. Huh.

I'm thinking about getting a fish tank now, Freshwater.
I've heard that you should run the tank for a week or two before you actually buy fish though, is this true?

Run it for a week, max. I really would suggest only doing it for 3-4 days though if you're antsy. You do this to aerate the tank so that the fish can actually breath when you get them. Also, what fish are you getting? I'm curious.

Run it for a week, max. I really would suggest only doing it for 3-4 days though if you're antsy. You do this to aerate the tank so that the fish can actually breath when you get them. Also, what fish are you getting? I'm curious.

To be honest I'm not sure. I'd like something that wont die easily as well as get along with other species. I did some research on it a few months ago but I didn't decide on a type and I can't remember much of what I read.

I know some types of goldfish get along with other types, I wouldn't mind at least one or two of them.

I know there's a family of foxes living behind me, and i live in a good sized town, population 7k. i saw the fox pups playing under a street light a day ago or so. at least that explains what happened to my pet goose. Poor Mad Max, got gutted by a fox. Yes, i know, a pet goose. not the first one i've had, one i know of was really fucking friendly, would jump on my dad's lap and chase anything that wasn't him away. Mad Max was an african goose i was training to be like the last one, and he didn't make it past 4 months. geese make surprisingly good pets, provided you work with them and befriend them. you can get one or two depending upon gender for around $10-$12 from any store that might sell chickens and ducks. also, i've had pet ducks before, can't remember the names, but they were friendly.

To be honest I'm not sure. I'd like something that wont die easily as well as get along with other species. I did some research on it a few months ago but I didn't decide on a type and I can't remember much of what I read.

I know some types of goldfish get along with other types, I wouldn't mind at least one or two of them.

Goldfish suck. Period. Get a young Oscar, they are pretty cheap, smart, and can get along with other species pretty well.

[release]
[h2]Summary[/h2]
Fish are one of our planets most common animals, mainly because they've been here for so long. There are Three types of fish you can get: Freshwater, Saltwater, Brackish. Overall the Freshwater fish 'genre' is the easiest to take care of, this is due to the availability of freshwater to people in modern society. Not only that, but they have adapted to the constant change in temperature/salinity/etc within many freshwater lakes and the equipment needed to sustain them is cheaper (people have put more money in filtering freshwater for us to drink than saltwater y'know). So if it's your first time caring for fish I suggest you get a Freshwater one. If you have experience with fish and you want a Saltwater fish, go for it! Heres a few tips for keeping them alive: clean their tank once a week, monitor the temperature of the tank at least once a day, and never EVER name your fish. It will die, trust me, Saltwater fish are cursed like that. Another thing to keep in mind with fish is that Albinos are not effected by light in any way, their pigment is just for looks.

Freshwater: Easier to take care of and readily available at most petstores.
•[tab]Oscars:[/tab] Oscars are aggressive in the wild, but in captivity are surprisingly friendly. You can pair them with other non-aggressive Freshwater fish without worry. But every once in a while you get a bad apple. They are pretty cheap fish priced between $10-$120 depending on longfin/age/etc and can be found in a lot of local petstores, if you can't find one near you you can find one online. These fish are very smart and can be a great beginners fish if you don't pair males together or with other species.

•[tab]Goldfish:[/tab] Easily the most popular pet fish and the most retarded. These things are rumored to have a 2-second memory (That's just an untrue urban myth) and will eat until they die (like MOST fish). The best beginners fish ever, but just because you have had a Goldfish doesn't mean you can handle the big guys yet, punk. They are priced extremely cheap, some places will only charge you $1 for one. They are also commonly used as 'feeders' to other fish, that means that they are live food.

•[tab]Bass:[/tab] Famous fishing-fish, not necessarily pet material but do-able. They cannot be bought live in most stores and I would not suggest one as a pet unless you are looking for a challenge. They can be cheap or pricey depending on where you buy and what species, $15-$95. If you can tame one of these bastards, then I applaud you, sir.

•[tab]Cichlids:[/tab] These fish can be found all over the world (Mainly Africa and South America , they are small aggressive fish inside and outside captivity. They can be great for beginner breeders and fish owners everywhere, just don't pair them with other fish species though. They will bully much larger fish.(I have a bumblebee cichlid named Bruno that has killed every tank member it has had except for the albino Plecostomus that's twice his size)

•[tab]Guppies:[/tab] These dense motherfuckers are almost as stupid as Goldfish, hell maybe even moreso. Great beginner fish but will astound you on what stupid thing they will do next, either impregnating every female in one day or killing them the next. I seriously hate these things, they are too much work for so much stupid. (I hate these fucking dumbass fish so fucking much oh my god they won't ever fucking die. I've had a tank full of them for at least 4-5 years and they just keep fucking and fucking. It's so inbreed that you hear banjo music when you open the tank lid.)
•[tab]Freshwater Invertebrates:[/tab] Not really a necessity for a freshwater system but can add unusual character to a tank. You can purchase anything from big snails that clean the tank, to bright blue crayfish. Some of the more commonly available are Amano Shrimps and various species of Snails.

Saltwater: Harder to take care of usually, but some of the most beautiful animals on Earth.
•[tab]Clownfish:[/tab] Cute little fish that not only entertain but amaze even fish experts at times. If you're going into Saltwater fish, I suggest you start here for these are some of the best fish you can get. Sometimes their ingenuity will make you smile, others times their stupidity will anger you. Great pets IMO and even greater when they have a friend anemone too.

•[tab]Cichlids:[/tab] These fish can be found all over the world, they are small aggressive fish inside and outside captivity. They can be great for beginner breeders and fish owners everywhere, just don't pair them with other fish species though. They will bully much larger fish.

•[tab]Butterfly Fish:[/tab] These beautiful fish are great editions to your Saltwater tank, their colors are really bright and contrast with the coral around them. I may not know the price of them (someone tell me) but I can sure tell you they won't break the bank. They are non-aggressive and can swim alongside other fish species without a flinch, unless of course they are aggressive species.

•[tab]Saltwater Angels:[/tab] These are unrelated to Freshwater Angel fish. They are just like the Butterfly fish in behavior but look completely different. Another great addon to any Saltwater display. I only suggest keeping them in groups of 1-10 other fish at a time (depending on tank size) because they get very irritated if you don't.

•[tab]Sharks:[/tab] You are probably not qualified to own one. Sharks have been around for 400,000,000 years, and are equipped with some of the most sensitive sensory organs on earth. With new advances is aquarium technology and animal husbandry, owning a shark is a real possibility. The most commonly owned species for homeowners are Bamboo/Cat Sharks, however you need At LEAST a 300 gallon aquarium for one. Sites that tell you otherwise are lying. I know people (They have Marine Biology degrees, though) that own Nurse sharks and blacktip reef sharks, too.

•[tab]Saltwater Invertebrates:[/tab] These are essential to the survival of any reef system. Crabs, Shrimps, and Snails are the unsung hero of the saltwater community. If you stock your system right you don't even need a filtration system. The Biological Filtration coming from microscopic organisms and the "cleanup crew" of crabs and snails can be enough to filter your whole tank.

•[tab]Cephalopods:[/tab]You are probably not qualified to own one. Octopus are becoming more obtainable in the saltwater fishkeeping community. For their relatively short life span they are an expensive and timely animal to take care off. Experts only.

•[tab]Coral(you could give this it's own whole separate category):[/tab] Coral are pretty self explanatory. They are not plants, rather a colony of hundreds of individual animals living as one for the collective.(it's almost the perfect communist country) They get their color by Zooanthellae algae living in it's skin. They are both photosynthetic autotrophs and heterotrophic. They are facinating animals and can be really easy, or extremely hard to take care of. Learn about the animal before you buy one, or you will kill it. Learn about Marine system and coral care here: http://www.peteducation.com/category.cfm?c=16+2167

•[tab]Morality and Responsibility of Keeping Saltwater Fish:[/tab]Only recently have major advancements in saltwater breeding occurred. Most, if not all the fish in pet stores were taken from the Reefs. Most species come from areas that are not properly protected, and therefore the methods to capture the fish is very destructive. Divers use crowbars to break apart the reef, and Cyanide to stun the fish, most often killing more than they capture. I urge you, if you cannot take care of these fish, don't even bother buying them. And always by tank breed fish and propagated corals if you can.